Gulls & Terns in Poland
Our list for Poland has 19 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 9 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 4 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Poland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 19, most common first
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorCommon64–79 cmRegularly May–Mar
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorUncommon25–30 cmRecorded all year
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusSummer visitorUncommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaPassage migrantUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Oct–Jan
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantRare62–68 cmRegularly Jan–Feb
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisPassage migrantRare43–54 cmRegularly Aug–Feb
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaPassage migrantRare33–42 cmRegularly May
Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouiniiScarceRare48–52 cmRegularly Jun
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Tern 21–25 cm
- White-winged Tern 20–27 cm
- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Gull-billed Tern 33–42 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 cm
- Mediterranean Gull 37–40 cm
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 cm
- Common Gull 40–46 cm
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 cm
- Audouin's Gull 48–52 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- Yellow-legged Gull 52–68 cm
- European Herring Gull 55–67 cm
- Glaucous Gull 62–68 cm
- Great Black-backed Gull 64–79 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made